Bella Italia Read online

  “To be there for the kids when they get out of school,” Berry said. His glance went from Petra to Hans. “It looks like we both share the same point of view about raising our kids. I mean, when it comes to making sure someone is home when they get out of school.”

  “Not many people do that anymore these days,” Marion said. “It seems like all people do these days is work. But what do they do with their children?”

  “Latchkey kids,” Berry said sniffing his nose. “Oh, well. Let’s change the subject and keep it fun tonight.”

  Hans nodded. He understood where Berry was headed and found his position somewhat oversimplified but didn’t feel like pressing the issue any further.

  Marion brought them another round at a quarter to ten, and Hans looked at his watch.

  Berry noticed his concern. “You worried already? Don’t stress yourself out; everything went fine last night, didn’t it?”

  Hans remembered his actions from the previous night and realized it must have seemed over the top to them. “Okay, so you all probably made fun of me last night, right?”

  Berry had a wide grin. “No worries, man. The first time Thijs went out walking around the campground with his friends at night, I did the same crazy stuff. So, welcome to the club.”

  Crazy, Hans thought, feeling a little guilty. He may be right.

  “So you thought that all I was doing all night was making fun of you?” Petra said, pretending to be offended. “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

  When everyone began to laugh, Hans joined in. A little self-deprecating humor couldn’t hurt. But even though he didn’t say it out loud, he was relieved to hear that Berry had struggled with the same problem.

  Around ten thirty Hans started to feel really nervous. He exchanged a few glances with Petra, who appeared totally relaxed. Just when he seriously began contemplating getting up, a ring tone sounded. Berry took his cell phone from his pants pocket.

  “What’s happening, Thijs?” His question echoed through the air as he held the phone away from his ear. Loud music suddenly rang out across the terrace. He pushed the phone back to his ear and squinted as the wall of sound buzzed through his head. “I’m having a hard time understanding you!”

  Apparently Thijs managed to find a spot that was less loud, because Berry opened his eyes and nodded. “Hold on for a moment,” he said loudly. “I’m going to check with Niels’s parents.” He dropped the phone from his ear again. “They are running late. The judges are still deciding who the winner will be.”

  “What time?” Hans responded instantly.

  “He doesn’t know yet.”

  “Niels needs to be home before eleven,” Petra decided out loud without consulting anyone else. She ignored Hans’s furious glare.

  “You and Niels need to be home before eleven.”

  They could hear Thijs’s voice through the patches of loud music.

  “I don’t care what time that the judges will decide. You two must be home before eleven, period. Have I made myself clear? Good. Then I’ll see you then!”

  “Don’t forget we are on vacation,” Marion said out loud, to no one in specific. Hans realized she had a point. Maybe he was too worried and strict. But if it was up to him, he would have gotten up and gone to pick up Niels personally that instant. And he realized that wasn’t good. He needed to be more understanding of the situation and not continually led by his emotions.

  He smiled at Petra. “Good job, honey.”

  She could see that his smile was sincere and smiled back.

  “Shall we do one more round then?” Marion glanced at her watch quickly. “The kids will be home again in half an hour.”

  Everyone agreed.

  Marion returned with two more full glasses of rosé and two more bottles of beer.

  Hans nodded and said with a wry smile. “Well, well, you’re really hitting the bottle hard tonight!”

  Berry gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder. “You know what they say about drunken women.”

  “They fall asleep,” Petra said stoically as she raised her glass.

  “I’ll drink to that, girl,” Marion said, winking at Berry, who shrugged his shoulders.

  “Oh well, after more than twenty years, you get used to it.”

  They continued with small talk, and Hans managed to resist looking at his watch. His patience was rewarded when Thijs and Niels arrived on their bikes at eleven sharp.

  Petra got up first. “Did you have fun?” she asked Niels, as he stepped off his bike and stood near the terrace.

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “So, who won?” Hans wanted to know.

  “An English boy. Wow, he can really sing. I’m sure he’s going to be famous.”

  Thijs had put away his bike and stood next to Niels, nodding his head in agreement. “The finals were very exciting, because all of the others were really good too.”

  “Okay, you can tell me all about it tomorrow,” Petra said with a wide smile. She placed her hand on Niels’s shoulder and gently pulled him along with her. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  She thanked Marion and Berry. “Why don’t you guys come over to our place tomorrow, if you feel like it?”

  Berry nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.” He looked at Thijs. “Time for bed, mister.”

  Thijs said good night and disappeared into the mobile home.

  “You don’t think that was a bit premature, or too much too soon maybe?” Hans whispered once they were sitting back on their own terrace. Niels had already brushed his teeth and gone to bed without protesting too much.

  “I was just being polite,” Petra answered. “Besides, tonight wasn’t so bad, was it? If they come to our place tomorrow then at least we’re even, and we’ll see what happens after that.”

  “You think that maybe tomorrow night I should put on a Dutch CD?” He stood up, stretching out his arms as if he was walking the polonaise.

  “Do you have a moment for me … ?” He hummed the tacky but popular Dutch song just loud enough so only Petra could hear him. “Make some time free for me …”

  “Stop it!” She said sternly. “You’re just being childish because all of your preconceived notions about the campground don’t appear to be true.”

  He dropped his arms again. “And I’m so happy about that. …” He looked at her and was filled with guilt. “You’re right, I’m being an ass. I was trying to be funny. Can I pour you a drink?”

  “Yes, please.” She grabbed his arm, pulled him close to her, and kissed him on his cheek. “Now, relax, we’re on vacation.”

  “I am doing just that, dear. Lake Garda was the perfect choice. All the credit goes to you. If you hadn’t found this online, we would have missed out on a wonderful vacation.”

  10

  It was just after nine o’clock when Berry and Marion joined them on their terrace. Thijs, Niels, Conor, and Mats had left around eight. There was a “Mister and Miss” pageant tonight, for which the boys had very high hopes. Thijs had even dared to volunteer as a judge that afternoon. Something the staff had really appreciated—and that had made them chuckle—but, sadly, he was rejected. Only the members of the park’s recreation team qualified for the judging panel.

  “How was your walk today?” Hans asked.

  “We walked along the lake,” Berry answered. “But we weren’t the only ones.”

  “Was it that busy?” Petra asked.

  “An ant pile,” Marion confirmed. “We had to be really careful and make sure we didn’t bump into anyone else, it was really annoying.”

  “But this afternoon it wasn’t like that at all,” Hans said. “We took a swim in the lake from three to five. Although, I’m not exactly sure I can call it swimming. …”

  Berry nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. A hundred yards from the beach the water still barely comes up to your waist.”

  “Not to mention those rocks on the bottom,” Marion said. “It doesn’t seem to end, rocks everywhere. Enough to drive you cr
azy. I cut my foot countless times.”

  “It’s such a contradiction to the rest of the surroundings,” Hans said. “You see this beautiful blue lake in front of you and the moment you step into it, the color changes to brown, and it suddenly looks just like a ditch on the side of the road in Holland. Very odd, must be because of the sand at the bottom.”

  “Same drinks as last night maybe?” Petra asked. The two men nodded in agreement. She went inside the mobile home and returned five minutes later with rosé and beer.

  “I’m dying of thirst,” Berry said. He gulped down half of his beer.

  Hans looked at his watch for the first time at a quarter after ten. Petra knew he was counting the minutes, but she was pleased to see he was doing his best to appear relaxed tonight. He made sure to express a real interest in the stories going back and forth and added his own funny anecdotes once in a while. It really looked like he was taking her advice seriously and that he had begun to relax, slowly but surely.

  “So our boys are judging the girls tonight,” Hans said.

  “Let’s hope so,” Berry answered, grinning. “Because it seems there is also a Mister pageant.”

  Marion let out an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t be like that. If he doesn’t like girls, then you’re just going to have to learn to accept that.”

  “No problem, dear. No, problem.” Berry answered, not very convincingly. Shortly after ten thirty Thijs came around the corner on his bike and stopped right in front of the terrace.

  “Hi,” he said shyly.

  “Hey, Thijs,” Petra said. “Where is Niels?”

  Thijs carefully shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  Hans jumped up right away. “What do you mean? You’re supposed to come home together, aren’t you?!”

  Petra got up as well and placed her hand on his arm. “Take it easy now.”

  “So you guys didn’t bicycle home together?” Marion asked.

  Thijs shook his head.

  “Niels went with Mats.”

  “What?!” With two quick steps, Hans stood right next to Thijs. “Where did you last see Niels?”

  “By the exit. Then I rode my bike here, and he left with Mats.”

  “They were also on their bikes?”

  Thijs nodded.

  “I’m going to go look for him,” Hans announced. “Which way did he go? Did you see?”

  Thijs shook his head again and began to look at him a bit frightened. “The other way. I don’t know where they went.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as I’ve found him.” Hans said to Petra.

  “Yes, and I’ll call you if he gets here first. Take it easy, okay? Panicking won’t help anyone.”

  Hans turned around and jogged to the end of the street. When he was out of sight, Marion placed her hand on Petra’s hand.

  “Don’t worry, hun. It’s going to be all right. We’ve experienced this with Thijs so many times. … In fifteen minutes Niels will pop up at the door.”

  “I hope so.”

  “The first time they’re late will drive you crazy,” Berry tried to reassure her. “Then later on you always wonder why you did that to yourself.”

  Petra tried to smile. She knew that Berry and Petra were probably right, but it didn’t take away her worry.

  Hans continued to jog to the place where Thijs had last seen Niels, right after the Miss pageant. At the entrance to the square, which was known as the Arena at the campground, he looked around. Not a trace of Niels. He walked on to the square and noticed it was far quieter than it had been two days ago, but it was obviously much later now. The stage was empty. Small groups of kids slightly older than Niels and a few adults were scattered around the square here and there. A small child ran through the various groups. Just to be sure, he walked all around the square and checked in all the spots not visible from the entrance. No sign of Niels anywhere. Hans walked back to the exit. Once he hit the path he quickened his pace again. The Cave seemed like the most obvious next stop. The considerable distance to the arcade was no problem for him. His daily runs on the treadmill were really paying off tonight.

  He stopped every hundred yards or so to look in the side streets. He saw families out on their terraces, people in front of their bungalows, and children playing a ball game, but no Niels.

  He jogged to the arcade but quickly concluded that Niels was not there either.

  Even though he couldn’t wait to keep moving, he took a moment to make his next decision. Diagonally to his left was the rear entrance to camping site. From there you would end up on the path that runs along to the lake. During the day, but especially at night, a lot of young people gathered there. An exciting, and therefore ideal place for an eleven-year-old, he thought. However, he decided to turn right, away from the entrance, and ran back in the direction of their mobile home. He knew his son well enough to know he would keep his promise not to leave the campground. Besides, he realized he should probably track down Mats’s parents. Maybe Niels had simply gone to Mats’s campsite. When he turned into their street, he slowed his pace. He didn’t want to come across as overly panicky.

  Petra, Berry, Marion, and Thijs were seated around the table and the mood seemed relaxed, though he wasn’t able to see Thijs clearly because Berry was seated right in front of him. Looks can be deceiving, he thought. Knowing Petra, she was probably very nervous by now; but if she was, she didn’t show it.

  “I haven’t found him yet,” he said, answering the questioning looks fired at him. “This campground is huge, though—I’ve probably only covered a quarter of it so far.”

  “I’m going with you,” Petra said decisively.

  Hans shook his head. “You can’t. Someone should be here when Niels comes back.”

  “We can do that,” Marion said. “I have your phone numbers. If Niels shows up, I’ll call you right away.”

  Thijs had his head down, and it looked as if he was crying.

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  Berry put a fatherly arm around his son’s shoulders. “Our Thijs is a little upset,” Berry said in a very calm tone. “After you left, the real story came out.”

  “Apparently Niels left with Mats because he wanted to go smoke a cigarette.”

  “Niels wanted to go smoke a cigarette?” Hans said in disbelief.

  “No, Mats wanted to smoke a cigarette, and Niels was supposed to watch his bike for him.”

  Hans could see that Thijs was feeling very uncomfortable about it all—maybe he felt guilty that he had not managed to convince Niels to go home with him. “Thijs, don’t worry; this is not your fault. But maybe you could help me? Do you know where I can find Mats’s parents, where their bungalow or mobile home is located?”

  “It’s a tent,” Thijs answered.

  “Do you think you could help me find that tent? Even in the dark?”

  Thijs nodded.

  Berry stood up and said, “I’ll walk with you guys.”

  11

  Together, they walked through the campground at a very quick pace. Mats’s tent appeared to be in the area by the Corso Copenhagen.

  “That’s it, right over there,” Thijs said decisively, as he pointed. “The big green tent.”

  There was a boy, who looked to be about eighteen years old, sitting underneath the tent’s awning. He had sleek, long blond hair and was reading a magazine.

  Hans greeted him and introduced himself in German. “Hello, I’m sorry to disturb you. My name is Hans, and I’m the father of Niels, and this is Berry, he is the father of Thijs.” He pointed to his neighbor and Thijs. “Our boys all play together, but tonight Thijs came home alone. Has Mats come home yet?”

  The boy looked at him and appeared bored. “Nope, I haven’t seen him yet.”

  “Are you his brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you have any idea where Mats is?”

  “Probably in the arcade. I’ve had to pick him up there before.”

  “But you’re not sure?” />
  The boy shook his head.

  “What about your parents? Or are you here alone with Mats?”

  He put down the magazine and waved vaguely with his hand. “My parents are out, having a drink somewhere. They won’t be back until later. I’m supposed to wait for Mats, and when he gets back I can go out. Or not go. It depends on how I feel.”

  Hans nodded. “So Mats isn’t home yet and neither is my son.”

  The boy casually shrugged his shoulders. “Just relax, they’ll show up later.”

  Hans could feel himself becoming very irritated by Mats’s brother, but he knew he had to remain calm. “Is there a way for you to reach Mats? Does he have a cellphone?”

  The boy looked at him and grinned. “I don’t think so. He’s not allowed to take it with him on vacation. He is bound to lose it somewhere and that costs money, you know?”

  “But he is not later than usual?”

  “Nah. Because he knows our parents are out, he may try to make it a half an hour later, but he also knows I will make him pay if he makes me wait too long. He won’t do that. So I’m sure they will show up real soon.”

  Hans nodded and said, “Thank you, but we will continue to look for them. If Niels does show up here, will you send him home right away?”

  The boy nodded and went back to his magazine.

  When they got back to the mobile homes, Berry said, “I’m going to make another round over by the main entrance, and after that I will check this street and the two adjacent streets. That will make it easier on you.”

  “Thanks. I’ll go and check out the Arena again and the arcade and then the back of the campground.”

  Petra stood up. “I’m going with you.”

  After they searched the square, the stage, and the arcade, Hans suggested they go to the rear entrance. It was the only place he had not looked yet, and they could split up there. Quickly they walked across the wide paved path.

  Petra stopped dead in her tracks at a small side road and said, “Wait.”

  A group of four teens stood in front of a small bungalow. As Petra got closer, she could see that it was two boys and two girls, smoking cigarettes together. They were all older than Niels, but because she wanted to make sure that Mats wasn’t part of their group she continued. Four surprised faces started at her.